This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
To the Editor.—Having worked for some time with the human cochlear aqueduct, I read with great interest the paper by Dr. Gussen. Since the name of the article and some of the conclusions imply that the author's findings on the cochlear aqueduct might have a broader meaning, I wish to make a few remarks.
The main finding in the right ear of the patient in the case reported was "marked hydrops of the cochlear duct from the midportion of the basal turn through the middle turn, with mild to moderate hydrops in the proximal basal and apical turns." This is hardly in accordance with the speculation of an increased perilymphatic pressure which would be more likely to give an opposite finding, a compression of the endolymphatic system.
The fistulous tract described by Dr. Gussen can hardly be regarded as such, since nearly all cochlear aqueducts from the fetal period